Presented at A Project Dissemination Workshop on Lessons Learned, Key Challenges and Seeds of Success”: TRANSFORMING CAMBODIA’S RICE INDUSTRY, an event organised by International Finance Corporation (IFC) with the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF).

1. Mobile Technology
Innovation for
Improved Farming
HEALTH | TECHNOLOGY | SUSTAINABILITY
www.ilabsea.org
Tharum Bun
Communications and Digital Media Manager
May 18, 2016

2. We design and use open source technology tools to help partners
enhance collaboration, share knowledge and improve information
flow so partners can better deliver critical services in their
communities.
ourniche
overview

3. Increase Farmers’ Access to
Improved Fragrant Rice Seeds Through the
Introduction of Voice Response System
(Verboice)
Challenge: how might we help increase

4. May - December 2014
(extended to March 2015)
Timeline

5. Challenge: how might we help increase
farmers’ ‘knowledge, attitude and practice’
toward their seed selection and use?

6. Cambodia’s connectivity landscape
~ 3 - 4 million internet users in Cambodia as of 2014,
said Cambodia’s Commerce Minister
and a Googler
at BarCamp Phnom Penh

7. ~ 19 million mobile phones
~ 1.3 phones for each of the country’s 15
million people
source: Southeast Asia Globe Magazine,
November 2013
Mobile phone landscape: Cambodia

8. Approach: Access to information through mobile phone

9. Approach: the most basic & inclusive level of communication

10. Approach: the most basic and inclusive level of communication

11. Key Results: disseminated information
74% of farmers
interviewed said they
learned about the benefit
of fragrant rice seeds
over the phone call.

12. Key Results: disseminated information about
where to get fragrant
rice seeds

13. Key Results: disseminated information about
radio channels and
schedules that
broadcast farming
techniques

14. Key Results
More than 3000 minutes of the
voice messages were played

15. Lessons learned:
Most of the farmers
told us that the voice
is a little bit fast.
Some time, some of
them need to listen
twice in order to
understand.
Voice messages
should be short, clear,
and entertaining

16. Lessons learned:
Most of the farmers
are not familiar with
the keypad.
Farmers use phone for
answering and
receiving calls.

17. Interactive Voice Response: www.verboice.instedd.org
create and run applications via voice,
thereby overcoming
literacy and geographical barriers

18. Interactive Voice Response: www.verboice.instedd.org

19. Interactive Voice Response: www.verboice.instedd.org

20. Contact?
phnompenh@instedd.org
learn more: www.ilabsea.org
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